Happening Now
September 4, 2023
to June 26, 2026
The Toronto Holocaust Museum is proud to offer specially designed resources to assist educators in teaching about the complex history of the Holocaust.
Belgian-Israeli cartoonist Michel Kichka is a second-generation Holocaust survivor whose art is deeply shaped by memory, history, and family legacy.
Category
Michel Kichka was born in 1954 in Liège, Belgium to Holocaust survivor parents. He moved to Israel in 1974, studying graphic design at Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts in Jerusalem, where he became a professor of illustration and press drawing.
Beloved for children’s book illustration, political cartoons (he is a member of “Cartooning for Peace”) as well as his trilogy of graphic novels, Kichka is perhaps best known internationally for his autobiographical Second Generation about his relationship with his survivor father. Where Art Spiegelman’s classic Maus focused on the testimony of the writer’s father, Kichka “asserts his own story” and that of other children of survivors. (Assaf Gamzou, the Israeli Cartoon Museum)
Programming during the artist residency:
Kichka: Telling Myself
Belgian-Israeli cartoonist Michel Kichka is a second-generation Holocaust survivor whose art is deeply shaped by memory, history, and family legacy. Through interviews, archival footage, and animated sequences of his drawings, filmmaker Gad Aisen reveals how Kichka addresses trauma and intergenerational memory with humour, honesty, and striking visual clarity. It also reflects on his connection to Israel and the broader historical forces that have influenced his work. By engaging with both past and present—including recent events such as October 7—Kichka’s drawings demonstrate how art can confront difficult histories, bear witness, and help society process ongoing realities. Join us for an extended Q&A moderated by Assaf Gamzou of the Israeli Cartoon Museum.
Shared Memory: The Holocaust in Popular Art (Panel)
June 13, 4:00pm, Al Green Theatre
A panel exploring how Holocaust memory is conveyed through popular visual artforms, addressing ethical representation, trauma depiction, and audience impact. Panelists include TJFF2026 Artist-in-Residence, Michel Kichka, author of the graphic novel, Second Generation: The Things I Didn’t Tell My Father; Michal Kosakowski, director of Holofictionand Bernice Eisenstein, author of I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors. Moderated by Assaf Gamzou, The Israeli Cartoon Museum.
Life is Beautiful: Michel Kichka (Carte Blanche)
June 13, 1:00pm, Al Green Theatre
TJFF2026’s Artist in Residence, Israeli-Belgian cartoonist Michel Kichka presents a special screening of Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-winning film. For those who admired it—and those who have long been skeptical—this is a chance to revisit Life is Beautiful with fresh eyes. Blending comedy and tragedy, the story follows Guido, a father who uses imagination and humor to protect his young son from the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp. Upon its release, the film sparked both acclaim and debate about its daring tonal approach. Seeing it again today invites a thoughtful reassessment of Benigni’s much-discussed film, often compared to Jerry Lewis’ uncompleted The Day the Clown Cried.
Presented by:
A Kultura Collective Member
In Partnership with:
Toronto Holocaust Museum, Miles Nadal JCC, Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies
Start Date: June 10, 2026
Closing Date: June 13, 2026
Various times
Downtown Toronto
Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Ave
Website:
$18+ and free
Accessibility
If accessibility options not listed, please contact the venue to confirm
Share
Share
Share
Related Events
Happening Now
April 14, 2026
to June 17, 2026
In just 10 lessons you will be reading and writing Hebrew fluently and accurately.
Happening Now
June 4, 2026
to June 14, 2026
From comedy to poignant documentaries, free programs and engaging panels, discover the unexpected at the Festival.
Last Chance
June 8, 2026
Eastern Europe was a crucial site of atrocity, complicity, and resistance during the Second World War; examining it today helps us understand the dangers of normalizing hate.